The 319,000-pound locomotive is placed on a trailer for a short ride to a nearby rail flatcar.

About 100 workers with several agencies in Birmingham and Jefferson County assisted in the first leg of moving a 1917 vintage locomotive from Fair Park this morning.

The move began shortly after 8 a.m. when two cranes from CraneWorks hoisted the 319,000-pound locomotive about six feet off the ground and onto a 48-wheel trailer. Later today, the trailer will carry the locomotive approximately two blocks to the nearby railway.

The engine will then be transferred to a flatcar, which will take it along the railway to Sloss Furnace. The move should take about two days. The engine, at 19 feet high, is too big to be carried down regular streets and under overpasses.

The locomotive has been at Birmingham's Fair Park since 1952. The locomotive was slated for a move as part of the city's project to convert the park into a sports-themed residential and commercial district.

The move is costing about $180,000, said Mountain Brook Mayor Terry Oden, who has been working to preserve the locomotive.

The Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency used the event as a heavy-lifting exercise, said EMA spokesman Mark Kelly.

Birmingham and Hoover police and Jefferson County EMA workers also assisted in the move.